Without a clear destination in mind, Scarlet recklessly rode her steed out of the Church Region.
In the dead of night.
Amidst the eerily quiet and foreboding scenery, Scarlet was slumped over on her horse like a corpse. Her injuries still hadn’t healed properly, and her body, in need of rest, was refusing to cooperate, making her struggle immensely.
The special armor powered by the divine concealed her small figure, making her appear larger than life. It granted her strength far exceeding her own and an unparalleled efficiency in wielding divine power compared to other Cathedral knights.
But it was heavy. If Scarlet’s body had been in peak condition, this armor would have undoubtedly provided her extraordinary capabilities, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case right now. Her body craved rest, healing, and needed a longer period of recovery.
Had she not refused that and dashed off, she wouldn’t have ended up like this. With her energy completely drained, she could barely see the map, let alone know where she was going, slumped on her horse, nearing the brink of passing out in the middle of the mountains at this hour.
“Senpai, senpai…”
In her fading vision, she kept murmuring Johannes’s name. The apparition of Johannes repeatedly appearing before her was like a whip, chastising her for collapsing in such a place.
Sometimes, he urged her sternly to get up and run again, and other times, he comforted her with gentle words. Yet now, right at this moment—when she desperately needed to hear his voice—Johannes’s voice was nowhere to be found.
“Where, where am I supposed to… go?”
Even repeating this internally yielded no response. When she tried to call out in despair, she found she didn’t even have the strength for that. Johannes, Johannes, Johannes Spillvan. Ah—Senpai. Why, why aren’t you guiding me? Why, why aren’t you appearing now?
From a distance, a sound echoed that seemed like a demon wailing. The long, piercing shriek triggered a primal fear, causing her horse to snort and tremble.
– Thud!
As a result, Scarlet, who had been flopped over, suddenly slid off and fell to the ground.
Thanks to the heavy armor, her fall left deep impressions on the ground.
“Cough.”
With no energy left, even her scream came out weak. Scarlet struggled and managed to turn her body to lie flat, which was all she could do.
Gazing blankly at the sky, the moon shone unbearably bright. It was the middle of winter, with the relentless winter wind howling and the skeletal branches shaking in response. The moon hanging between them shone pure white, and it was painfully bright.
“Senpai…”
“I… I made a mistake…”
Tears streamed down her tightly shut eyes. It was her first time uttering a word of apology. But that apology would never reach the intended recipient. Knowing this, she sank into regret.
“Senpai… I was wrong…”
Wasn’t Johannes always faithful, armed with unwavering faith?
Hadn’t he always shown her a warm and cheerful smile?
What had Scarlet done to him?
Scarlet struggled to lift herself up. With great effort, she moved her body and knelt down reverently. Feeling behind her waist, she opened a hidden compartment and soon grasped a dagger. Holding the dagger, Scarlet placed it in front of her.
“If one has done wrong, it is only right to receive punishment, Senpai.”
Scarlet’s eyes gleamed strangely.
It was a simple logic upon reflection. If one does wrong, one must be punished. Scarlet had not yet been punished. How had she treated him, the most precious, brightest, and brilliant person in her life? Any excuse like being hindered by the golden rule had long since flown out of her mind.
She should have recognized him. She should have recognized Johannes. At least, she should have noticed when she introduced herself as Johannes Spillbane. But she didn’t. Yes, that was the case. So—
‘She must be punished.’
But how could she receive punishment? There was no one to punish her, only her here to take it.
When you think about it, the solution was simple. She had to punish herself. After all, Scarlet was the one who took care of Johannes Spillbane’s duties when he wasn’t around, so this punishment could be seen as part of those duties. The answer was simple. Yes, it was that.
Although it was a moonlit forest, the well-kept dagger did not reflect the light. Its darkened, subdued hue blended into the shadows, showing just how well it had been maintained.
Scarlet quietly looked down at the dagger. Without even the hint of hesitation, she lifted the dagger steadily. Then, she quietly set it down again.
She was wearing gauntlets. What kind of punishment would it be to strike down with the dagger while wearing gauntlets? If she was going to do it, she needed to do it right; if not, she should just give up—Johannes’s voice seemed to ring loudly in her ears.
It felt like a dream.
Quietly removing the gauntlet, Scarlet set it aside and grabbed the dagger once more. She placed her left palm on the ground, drew the dagger, and aimed—smack.
The dark blade pierced through Scarlet’s hand and embedded itself in the ground. An excruciating pain surged through her mind, as if it were frying her brain. It burned through to her spinal cord, leaving her in agony.
“C-Cough, ugh, ah, ugh…!”
A suppressed groan escaped her lips. The crimson surge from the opened vein began to seep through the gaps in her hand, staining the ground red without a care.
It hurt. It hurt so damn much. It felt like her body had surpassed the limits of pain she could endure. Scarlet trembled and curled up as if her flesh were catching fire.
“B-b-but… there’s still… not enough…? Senpai…?”
Still, Senpai’s voice did not reach her. Scarlet pulled the dagger out of her hand and stabbed down again. Blood splattered like droplets from the fresh wound. Her sensitized nerves sent amplified pain bursting into her skull, far worse than before.
Still, still not enough.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh…”
With a beastly groan, Scarlet curled her body.
Johannes’s voice was still absent.
*
The carriage heading toward Albert turned swiftly, leaving the Medial Plain and heading straight for Kapatia Port.
“Why are you bringing this up now?”
“Ah, I was going to say something! But there wasn’t really a chance… No, more importantly, I did mention that I’d definitely be late, didn’t I?”
Yona glared at Ceres with a furrowed brow.
If it were up to her, she would’ve loved to slap Ceres, but the fact that she couldn’t right now was infuriating.
The trouble began when Ceres asked Yona how long it would take from Kapatia Port to Evian.
“Why are you asking me? I’ve never taken that route by carriage, so I wouldn’t know. How would I know what you know?”
“Is that so? Then how long did it take you to walk?”
“I think it took about a month…”
“That’s quite a while. At that rate, I might arrive there first, you know?”
“…What do you mean? Weren’t you supposed to go to Evian with us?”
At this point, Yona started to sense something was off.
Ceres’s carriage was the Regent’s carriage, so as long as she was on it, traveling shouldn’t be an issue at all.
So even though the journey to Evian would take a considerable amount of time, Yona hadn’t been overly worried.
Yona hadn’t been too worried, even considering how long it had been.
“Well, you see, it’s because this is the regent’s carriage. I’m the regent of the Duchy of Kapatia, after all. Riding this carriage and leaving the Duchy of Kapatia without a clear purpose isn’t allowed.”
In other words, inside the Duchy of Kapatia, it’s fine since Ceres is the regent, but once they step outside, it’s a different story.
The Infura Church Region is practically the spiritual capital of this empire of humankind, so visiting it is no problem, but entering the Kingdom of Lukasia, where Evian is located, presents a whole new issue.
Thus, the conversation reaches this point.
“So, are you telling me to walk all the way to Evian?”
“It’s too dangerous to find another carriage, and honestly, we have no other option. There’s no better security than this carriage.”
This time, even Ceres couldn’t manage her annoyingly cheerful smile.
Yona’s face was contorted in a way that looked like she was ready to smack Ceres at any moment, and Ceres knew that provoking Yona further would lead to real trouble.
“In exchange, I’ll generously support you with funds for your travel. Move as quickly as you can, and I’ll get to Evian first to prepare everything so you can move immediately. So, please calm down, Saint Yona.”
Huuuu—
With a long sigh, Yona closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Walking itself wasn’t a problem for Yona; she was used to it.
It wasn’t like she was annoyed by the idea of walking.
After all, she was the one who suddenly changed the destination to Evian, so it was a bit awkward to be mad.
“Hey, don’t be too upset. It’s nice to reminisce about the old days. Didn’t you enjoy your time as an adventurer? I think it would actually be nice to travel just the two of us.”
“…You’re really smooth, aren’t you? Are you laughing?”
Seeing Alex, who was grinning with satisfaction, Yona couldn’t bring herself to be angry.
Ever since she rescued this guy, she couldn’t treat Alex harshly at all.
“Rubina, are you okay with traveling on foot again with me?”
Rubina, sitting demurely and gazing out the window with her hands clasped, quietly turned to look at Yona.
Then she slowly nodded and reached out to pat Yona’s hand, as if to say not to worry.
“…Alright. But make sure you give me enough funds. Enough to cover myself with gold coins while sleeping.”
“If you can carry it, I’ll give it to you.”
What on earth does that girl have in terms of wealth?
Yona suddenly became curious about it.
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